360 -- Engadget

Xbox 360 Wireless N adapter is really real, out this week in US for $100

by Ross Miller posted Nov 10th 2009 at 5:24PM

Microsoft's releasing a Wireless N Networking Adapter for the Xbox 360? Get out of town! ... Oh, wait, we've seen it. Constantly. For the last two months. Ah well, let's just all be happy to see it finally appear on US store shelves, putting an end to this sordid saga and supporting 802.11a/b/g/n for a copper Lincoln under $100. As Joystiq reports, the old 802.11b/g model is slowly being shown the curb, with the current stock being discounted at $80 while supplies last.

[Via Joystiq]

Update: Check it -- GameStop has it listed right now in stock. Huzzah!

Xbox 360 802.11n adapter rebirths on Costco site, ships November 10th for $88

by Ross Miller posted Nov 5th 2009 at 4:54PM

You can't keep a phoenix down and this Xbox 360 wireless n adapter seems to be a bird of similar feather. After discretely showing up on US retail sites and subsequently managing to drop off into internet obscurity, the 802.11n-compliant peripheral has returned to the scene via Costco's site, this time with a November 10th shipping date and a more attractive than before $88 price tag. With only five days until the 10th, will this finally be the price and date that stick? Who knows -- but at least this time we won't have to wait long to find out.

[Thanks, WeakSasco]

Exclusive two-tone Xbox 360 Play and Charge kit coming to GameStop

by Nilay Patel posted Oct 16th 2009 at 2:11PM

We still think those crazy Mad Catz Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 controllers are the coolest around at the moment, but if you're committed to staying first-party this new GameStop-exclusive Play and Charge bundle is right up there -- black carbon fiber with red inserts never did anyone wrong, you know? Pre-orders are up now in all kinds of countries for $70.

Gallery: Exclusive two-tone Xbox 360 Play and Charge kit coming to GameStop

New Xbox 360 Elite holiday bundle and Wireless Controller Game Pack announced

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 29th 2009 at 11:05AM

We'd been hearing that Microsoft had a new Xbox 360 holiday bundle in the works, and here we go: $299 will nab you an Elite, Lego Batman, and Pure. Not a bad deal -- and if you already have a 360, you can score a new controller, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Lumines LIVE!, Bomberman LIVE! and Ms Pac-Man for another $60. The new Elite pack should be shipping to retailers today, but you'll have to wait until November to snag the controller bundle. Now if only Microsoft would see fit to bundle in some freaking WiFi, we'd be all set.

Continue reading New Xbox 360 Elite holiday bundle and Wireless Controller Game Pack announced

Video: a brief history of game console teardowns

by Ross Miller posted Sep 25th 2009 at 7:42AM

Granted, none of these are teardowns we haven't already seen ad nauseam, but seeing every Sony and Microsoft console ripped to shreds and placed side-to-side in a series of glass cases is still a sight to behold. Peruse the display yourself, found at Tokyo Game Show and shown courtesy of the Museum of GAME Science, in a video tour after the break.

Continue reading Video: a brief history of game console teardowns

DJ Hero controller hands-on faceoff with an SL-1200MK2

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 15th 2009 at 1:51PM

Activision was kind enough to send over an early evaluation copy of DJ Hero, and while we haven't had a chance to dive deeply into the game yet, we thought you might want to see how the controller itself stacks up against one of our Technics SL-1200MK2s. As you might expect, compared to the legendarily tank-like construction of the MK2, the DJ Hero controller looks and feels exactly like the plastic game controller it is, although the wheel itself is nice and weighty and the buttons are pleasantly clicky. We definitely have some doubts about how this is all going to work when actually trying to mix tunes together, but we're eager to try it out -- in the meantime, hit the gallery for the full set of pics.

Gallery: DJ Hero hands-on faceoff with Technics SL-1200

Xbox 360 802.11n WiFi adapter floats through the FCC

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 15th 2009 at 1:12AM

See those two antennas? They can only mean one thing: lickity-quick 802.11n WiFi on Microsoft's unannounced Xbox 360 adapter. Of course, the FCC label reads, "Xbox 360 wireless N networking adapter," leaving little doubt as to its purpose. A spec bump that should push the raw data rate to at least twice what you've seen on 802.11b/g networks while offering more options for placement thanks to improved range. What, you do have an 802.11n network at home, right? It's IEEE official now, you know?

Xbox's Aaron Greenberg: Hulu on 360 like "asking out a really hot chick on a date"

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 28th 2009 at 9:22PM

Hey, our main dudes over at Joystiq sat down with Xbox's Aaron Greenberg recently, and there are some great bits of info in the interview. Aaron says the big Xbox price cut has been planned for months, so it's "just a coincidence" that it happened right on top of the PS3 Slim -- and he also says he's an avid Joystiq reader, so if Redmond had wanted to get the jump on Sony, they'd have been prepared. Other nuggets: the $99 WiFi adapter isn't coming down in price, the Netflix relationship is going well, and getting Hulu or Amazon Unbox on the 360 is like "asking out a really hot chick on a date, they don't all say yes." Yeah, it's a pretty great interview -- hit the read link for the whole thing.

Xbox 360 'Super Elite' with 250GB HDD glimpsed in South African retail ad

by Ross Miller posted Aug 28th 2009 at 7:13PM

So much for secrecy. South African Xbox 360 distributor Comztek has told local gaming news site XboxGaming.co.za that the a 250GB "Super Elite" model is due there in October. Additionally, the Forza 3 bundle we saw heading to Germany is also en route to SA, retailing for R4,999 (US $646), or around the same price as the Elite before its recent global price cut. South African retailer BT Games has apparently also posted a flier in honor of the launch (pictured), offering a R500 discount on the Super Elite (non-Forza 3 bundle, presumably) with the trade-in of a slimline PlayStation 2, totaling R4,199 (US $541) post-discount, or a 120GB Elite for R2,999 after the same trade-in rebate. Let's hope the folks in Redmond have as much of a sense of humor about leaks as Sony does.

[Via Joystiq]

Xbox 360 Pro and Elite price cuts confirmed in Target ad for next week

by Thomas Ricker posted Aug 25th 2009 at 2:26AM

We just received a pair of pics from "next week's" Target Ad. As has been heavily rumored, the Xbox 360 60GB Pro system will be cut to $250 while the 120GB Elite will drop to $300. Knowing that Target's weekly ads run from Sunday to Saturday we fully expect to see the new pricing go into effect on Sunday the 30th. One more image after the break.

[Thanks, Tyce]

Continue reading Xbox 360 Pro and Elite price cuts confirmed in Target ad for next week

Xbox 360 Pro 60GB for $230 during Woot Sellout

by Thomas Ricker posted Aug 24th 2009 at 2:11AM

While it's no guarantee that a retail price drop is coming, seeing an Xbox 360 Pro selling for just $230 (plus $5 shipping) during a Woot Sellout certainly piles-on the evidence. The Woot model is your typical 60GB Pro (rumored to have reached end-of-life) with HDMI-out, wireless controller, headset, and component AV cable. However, instead of carrying a $300 price it costs about $70 less than your nearest brick-and-mortar will charge. The best deal you'll find until the rumored price cuts get official. So what's it going to be, slim, pull the trigger or wait?

[Thanks, Joshua W.]

Did Microsoft delay its price drop announcement to avoid Sony's Slim Storm 2009?

by Tim Stevens posted Aug 20th 2009 at 9:43AM

You may have seen a post or three (or eleventy) over the past few days about Sony's newer, skinnier, cheaper PS3 Slim. Microsoft apparently did, and that might be partly why it chose to delay its own re-pricing announcement, a move it was apparently set to reveal yesterday at GamesCom -- but opted not to. Big Redmond is said to be killing off the Xbox 360 Pro and replacing it with the Elite at the $299 price point, a move it will want to make quickly because, for the first time, it's now the most expensive gaming console on store shelves. Whether the supposed delay was to let the dust settle on Sony's big news or was just to clear out some additional Pro inventory remains to be seen, but either way MS had better get a move on -- and maybe think about knocking an extra couple bucks off for good measure.

[Via 1UP; thanks, jeremy23j]

Xbox 360 'only console to show growth this year' according to Microsoft

by Paul Miller posted Aug 16th 2009 at 6:41AM

Dubbing itself "the industry's sole bright spot in 2009," Microsoft has spun some depressing console sale decline numbers from NPD into a self-congratulating piece on the Xbox 360's singular success this year. Through the first seven months of 2009 the console has shown 17 percent growth, despite July's losses for the Big Three's respective slabs of home hardware. Microsoft also points out that the 360 has been the number one platform for third-party sales through the entire year. Of course, this is nothing Sony can't rectify with a bit of dirt cheap PS3 Slim magic, right? Right? Nintendo meanwhile probably can't hear Microsoft's bragging through the thick, cash-lined vaults it's built for itself off the back of ceaseless peripheral sales.

Xbox Live dashboard update preview invites begin rolling out

by Ross Miller posted Jul 28th 2009 at 11:28PM

You've already read our thoughts on the new Xbox Live dashboard update, and now it's time for those who put in their name for the preview program to join the fun. Microsoft today began sending invites that'll get you set up for the download, so that you can enjoy Avatar marketplace and a slew of new Netflix options (and irksome restrictions for Starz Play titles). Registration is still open if you still want a shot at nabbing it before August 11th. Didn't get an email? A second wave of invites is going out tomorrow, but also be sure to check the Connect site you registered at anyway, as Microsoft notes those who opted out of receiving emails will have no other way of confirming.

[Via Joystiq]

Microsoft confirms new Xbox 360 Arcade systems are bumped to 512MB

by Donald Melanson posted Jun 18th 2009 at 2:47PM

There wasn't much doubt that Xbox 360 Arcade systems equipped with 512MB of on-board memory were now shipping, but Microsoft has now come out and confirmed as much to Eurogamer to put any last bit of doubt to rest. For those not familiar with the world of hard drive-less Xbox 360s, that's twice as much memory as before, although that of course doesn't mean all that space will actually be available to gamers. As Microsoft notes, "the Xbox 360 system software uses some of the included 512MB memory," so "less storage will be available to users." Of course, finding one of the newly-upgraded consoles will also be a bit hit and miss for the time being, but it's looking like any console manufactured after April will have the added boost.

[Via Joystiq]